Major PlayStation Store update coming Oct 17 in EU, Oct 23 in US

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A brand new interface has been unveiled for the PlayStation Store on PlayStation 3, and will land on October 17 in Europe and October 23 in the United States. The interface, which is described as a "step change" by Sony, gives the home store screen a new tile-based interface that scrolls sideways, groups content by title, and offers a new search feature, among other things.

The PlayStation Store will now be categorised by platform via a navigation bar on the left of the screen, with Vita content sitting separately to PS3 content. There are also more options for discovering content, sorting it by genre, price (£9.99 or under, for example), or even accessory, such as guitar or microphone.

The new PlayStation Store has also received a search update that Sony claims makes searching for content easier than before. The old keyboard is gone, replaced with a scrollable selection of letters. With each letter entered, results are delivered, while letters that are irrelevant are removed from the list. Sony claims that it wants users to be able to find anything on the store with a maximum of three letters. The search engine has also been designed to float the most popular content to the top of the results list.

The recommendation and basket system has also been updated. When browsing titles, gamers can see "recommended" items which the store believes may be of interest. Users can also add many items to the basket and purchase them in one go, while anything added to the basket and not purchased remains there. In addition, the main page for each game also houses trailers and screenshots which are streamed in high-definition through the store itself.

The new interface is the result of feedback from focus groups and one-to-one research. There is no announcement on a PlayStation Store update for PlayStation Vita at this time, but Sony said the PS3 update forms part of an "ongoing programme of work." Sony also demonstrated a couple of charts that may or may not be there at launch, such top-rated items by users and most popular of the week.

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